Closer
by ChasingYou
Summary: So there he was, seated in the second row of a theatre that looked more like a house that was about to collapse in the outskirts of Paris, instead of his usual table in La Musain writing new columns for the Nationale and reading novels for his class. He didn't even understand why Marius wanted them all to go in the first place, it was just a stupid university play. Modern: au


**Closer.**

_All I want to know is_

_Can you come a little closer._

Closer; Tegan and Sara.

Summary: So there he was, seated in the second row of a theatre that looked more like a house that was about to collapse in the outskirts of Paris, instead of his usual table in La Musain writing new columns for the Nationale and reading novels for his class. He didn't even understand why Marius wanted them all to go in the first place, it was just a stupid university play.

Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables. Nor do I own the song from Tegan and Sara, though I do encourage you all to listen to it.

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_There is this moment when you realise, "oh, there you are. I have been looking for you forever". (Glee)_

It was all Marius' fault. He was the one who insisted that they should all come to see the play that Cosette had directed. Jehan, being the romantic that he is, has agreed almost immediately, excited to do something else on a thursday night than hangout at La Musain. Joly was the next one to agree, seeing it as a chance to show off his new mistress. Grantaire was persuaded with the provided free bar and even Comberferre had agreed after hearing that Éponine would play in it.

Enjolras was the one who needed the most persuasion. He didn't care much for musical or amateur theatre. It only reminded him of the life that he had left behind. His father had insisted that it was absolutely necessary for his education that he should experience some culture. So every month his father would take him to the local theatre so see some performance. It didn't matter if it was theatre, opera or a jazz performance, as long as it was something cultural. Enjolras had loved it.

He loved every time his father took him to the theatre, the one time that he got to see the backstage is still one of his most precious memories. But when he said goodbye to his father and the family heritage, he also said goodbye to those memories. And going to the theatre now would only bring back those memories.

But of course he had eventually caved in. Marius has used every trick in the book that there was to persuade Enjolras to do something. He had even used Cosette and her sad puppy dog look.

So there he was, seated in the second row of a theatre that looked more like a house that was about to collapse in the outskirts of Paris, instead of his usual table in La Musain writing new columns for the Nationale and reading novels for his class. He didn't even understand why Marius wanted them all to go in the first place, it was just a stupid university play.

But of course, Marius wanted to show his support to his Cosette and because he wanted to show how much he supported her, all the Amis were supposed to go. Stupid silly romantic gestures that Enjolras didn't see the point of but Marius had insisted that Cosette would appreciate all of them being here.

To be honest, Enjolras was there more to support Éponine than Cosette. When he found out that Cosette wanted Éponine to be the lead, he was surprised, though more so because he thought it was supposed to be an university play and Éponine didn't go to university with any of them. But Cosette had insisted, even when her teachers had pointed out that students who didn't go to university weren't allowed to play. She made them hold auditions and Éponine must have killed hers because she got the part.

Cosette had been taking directing classes ever since she had decided that she wanted to major in theatre. When the opportunity came for someone to direct the annual university play, she had volunteered almost immediately. Enjolras would know, Marius has told this tale almost as many times as he had mentioned how beautiful his Cosette was.

When Cosette had found out what the play was about, she had asked Éponine if she wanted to be in the lead, claiming that she was perfect for the role. Éponine had refused at first, not knowing if she wanted to play in a university theatre and to be more honest, she didn't know if she wanted to do Cosette a favour. Her heart still stung whenever she saw Cosette and Marius together in a booth in the coffee shop she worked.

But the stings were getting less and less painful and happened less and less and Éponine always had loved the theatre. When she was younger, and her parents still owned an inn, she would perform for the guests, dancing and singing until her parents dragged her off to bed. Later she realised they let her perform because it was a distraction for the guests and when the guests were distracted it was easier to steal from them. .

But still, she had enjoyed those moments immensely and she remembered how she and Gravoche used to make up stories and then play them out themselves so that they could escape the world her parents had brought them in.

So she had agreed and she liked it, she liked it a lot. She liked that Cosette told her that she did a good job, she liked that she got to wear dresses and twirl around in them, the fabric flying around her body, she liked that she got to sing, she liked that the world on stage was different from her normal life in the coffee shop.

Her and Cosette even grew closer, they would never become best friends, their characters and backgrounds were too different but Éponine no longer saw her as her enemy or the girl who got everything. She became to realize that Cosette was just a girl, a girl in love with the boy and that boy happened to be in love with her as well. It was not Cosette's fault that that boy was the same boy that Éponine once liked.

Most of the play had been completely lost on Enjolras. He didn't like the lead character who was just a ditzy girl who thought she was every man's desire. He didn't like the scenery, some night club where people came to be seduced by the women on stage. He didn't like the plot because there was absolutely no plot. He did however like the woman who played the lead. Even though the character was the complete opposite of her own character, Éponine played the lead as if her solemn on this earth was to play a ditzy girl for her whole life.

Enjolras, who normally didn't really notice what someone wore, was fascinated with the fabrics that hugged Éponine's body, the colours of the dresses contrasting with her skin, her eyes scanning the crowd to see a familiar face.

Before he know it, the play was almost ending and Éponine climbed up on the make-up stage to sing her last song before the 'club' was closed. Familiar tones started to play that Enjolras has heard Éponine humming under her breath for the last couple of weeks.

The moment she began the sing, her dark green dress alight by the lights, giving it almost a glow, he saw. He saw _her_. Éponine, his _Éponine._

_All I want to get is, a little bit closer._

_All I want to know is, can you come a little closer. _

All the moments they had spent huddled together over a book in La Musain flashed before his eyes. She wanted to know some of the things they were talking about on the meeting with Les Amis and Enjolras reluctantly had lent her some books. The next time she had come back, walking towards him immediately with a couple of questions about terms she came across that she didn't understand. He had agree to explain them and that is how their little tutor thing started.

He would lent her books, she would come back to him with questions, they would spent hours huddled over a book, heads bent closely together, whispering explanations, questions and opinions. After some time they had moved on from political books to romans, but their little routine continued.

It became the time that Enjolras looked most forward to when he started his week on Monday, Thursday evening when Éponine would walk in and they could talk about everything and nothing at all. Their voices turned to whispers so that no one else could hear.

When Éponine sang the last few notes of the song, Enjolras could swear the whole room was silent and all he could see was her. The lights dimmed and next to him Marius shot up from his seat, applauding like a maniac. Joly and Jehan soon joined and eventually the whole room was standing up and applauding. Enjolras still sat in his seat, not understanding what just had happened. His eyes moved involuntarily to the stage where he saw her, still in the green dress, her eyes completely alight with delight and happiness. He felt himself smile even though he didn't know why.

Maybe Marius wasn't that much of a fool after all, he thought as he slowly stood up as well, clapping as hard as he could, his eyes locked on _his_ Éponine. His _patria_.

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**Author's note: **Thank you so much for reading. I hope you all enjoyed it. I was wondering if anyone was interested in becoming my béta reader? I want to write a multichapter Enjolras & Éponine story but I might need some help to write it.

Also please review and let me know what you thought.


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